Terms of the agreement that ended the protest were not disclosed. Earlier attempts to end the protest fell through when Hill refused to agree to company demands that she renounce tree-sitting and discourage would-be tree-sitters.

"I will not sign away my right to free speech," Hill had said.

Earlier proposals had called for the company to save the tree and its immediate neighbors in exchange for a $50,000 donation by Hill and her supporters for forest research.

For two years, Hill has cooked vegetarian meals on a camping stove, used a bucket for necessities and stayed in shape by climbing the tree trunk.

She has entertained such visitors as Joan Baez, Woody Harrelson, Bonnie Raitt, Buddhist monks and Native American leaders. The tree, located near the town of Stafford, about 240 miles north of San Francisco, was not included among the tracts protected in the Headwaters agreement signed early this year by the lumber company.